Does it matter which oil you use when doing an oil change?

Question

for my 2017 Nissan, the guy at the dealership said to use the regular Nissan conventional oil which was like $20.

My personal mechanic whom I trust and is on vacation so she cannot do an oil change for me says that Mobil 1 5W-30 runs better with my car. And that he only uses that oil for all his customers.

Is it true? What kinds of things can I assess to validate my mechanics point? I trust her more than anything but she is not here.

Answer 1

If my mechanic said he/she used Mobil 5w-30 in everything I would run. Doesn't fit the weight requirement of any car I own.



If you are worried about warranty make sure you follow any spec in your owners manual, I couldn't check that out without model and engine. But at very least 2017 Sentra and Pathfinders call for Grade SN 0w-20, also not compatible with 5w-30.



I can't think of anybody who thinks Mobil 1 is not good oil, I personally can't justify the price, and isn't in manufacturers approval for at least one car I used to own.



There are various claims about who makes Nissan oil, most common claim is Total, which is a popular brand in Europe, you often can see their sponsorship in various FIA races (including F1), but there isn't any definite proof. Remember Nissan is controlled by Renault, so a European brand wouldn't be odd. Also just a claim of "synthetic" is confusing, some oils sold in the US as synthetic couldn't be called synthetic in many European countries.

Answer 2

Yes My 1964 22SB used 20 w 30 Castrol 2



my 1987 Mercedes used 20 w 30 Castrol 2



My VW Bora uses 0 w 30 Castrol edge



I would recommend reading the Car Handbook before Listing to any Mechanic which say change oil every 3000 Klm



MY VW Bora 2002 hand Book says change oil 15000 Klm or 10,000 Miles

don't Give your so-called mechanic money for Nothing read the Book First



No Book use Google

Answer 3

Look in your owner's manual. That tells what oil weight to use.

Answer 4

I like to use corn oil it's cheaper

Answer 5

The best thing to use in a Nissan or Infiniti when changing the oil is a good synthetic oil. Mobil 1 works just fine.

The 3.5 liter motor has a couple of weak points that is greatly effected by the oil you use in the motor and the number of miles between oil changes.

The timing chains wear out and stretch and the cam advance actuators for the adjustable cam timing start sticking.

If you don't use synthetic oil you must change the regular oil every 3,000 miles.

With synthetic oil it's every 5,000 miles.

Check the oil level on the dipstick every 600 miles and top it up so that the oil level never gets lower then half way between the upper and lower dipstick marks.

I've never met a female car mechanic who knew what they were doing.

I wouldn't use heavier weight oil in the motor.

Answer 6

mobile1 is the best bar none ...all my cars run on it ..never ever had a problem

Answer 7

READ your owner's manual and put the oil the manual recommends. Find out the OIL SPECIFICATION and the VISCOSITY. As they always say, it is NOT rocket science.

Answer 8

It definitely does matter. I don't know what Nissan model you have so I can't give you specifics, but the 2017 Nissan Sentra specifies 0W-20 oil, which is only available in synthetic. Your owner's manual will tell you what your model requires. Accept nothing less. However, it is hard to go wrong with Mobil 1.

Answer 9

Toyota oil is Mobil 1, I saw extreme pressure testing done on this oil and it rated far superior than any other major brand. Nissan could use the same oil, ask at the dealership. I use mobil1 in all



personal and company vehicles.

Answer 10

Go with the Nissan dealership. It works for me and my Pathfinder.

Answer 11

Most newer vehicles requires synthetic oils. However, synthetic motor oil can cost two to four times as much as regular oil. So unless your owner's manual specifies synthetic, you don't need it. Check your owners manual

5w30 would be fine if that what she has been using.

Answer 12

Never us Pennzoil in a 4 cylinder or high revving engine. Now that they own Quaker State I don't trust them anymore, just in case

Answer 13

There's a reason why a car would need 0W-20. You could go through all the tech details on some website for Nissan owners, or you could simply use the recommended oil.



If you choose to experiment with some other oil instead of the recommended one, you might discover WHY the design engineers recommended some particular grade of oil. In particular, some of the newer cars use 0W-20 for reasons you might not expect.



Use the specified oil.

Answer 14

I wonder what he smokes It certainly uses synthetic.

Answer 15

Use "motor oil".

Use the viscosity that is recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle.

Do you know what it is?



You want to assess things?

Answer 16

5-30

Answer 17

Before you do anything, your car is a 2017 so it's still under warranty. Get a tech to do the oil change and stamp the service book to maintain it. Nissans are not always great for reliability so you may need it. As to the oil, the manual states exactly the type and viscosity of oil your should be using. Stick to that recommendation. The guys who built the motor know what it needs. Techs tend to buy oil in bulk from whatever supplier gives them the best deal, and will use whatever is in the drum. No good quality modern oil is gonna screw up your engine, but some will be better for it than others.